Orchestrator and worker bypass mandatory workflow phases — semantic traces never generated, worker bootstrap pre-digested

[m2ux]

Problem Statement

The workflow-server defines a mandatory orchestrator/worker execution model with specific phase requirements. In practice, both the orchestrator and worker routinely violate these requirements: the orchestrator pre-digests activity instructions instead of letting the worker self-bootstrap via next_activity and get_skills, and the worker skips mandatory phases — most critically the write-semantic-trace phase defined in the execute-activity skill, which has never produced a trace file in any work package execution.

Current state:

• The orchestrator pre-processes and summarizes activity definitions, skill protocols, and resources before dispatching to the worker, rather than passing the session token and letting the worker call next_activity and get_skills itself
• The write-semantic-trace phase (marked MANDATORY in the execute-activity skill) has never generated a trace file — the worker consistently skips it before calling report-completion
• The worker does not follow the complete skill protocol sequence; phases are arbitrarily omitted without error or enforcement
• The orchestrator selectively ignores its own discipline rules (e.g., rule docs: Schema documentation with usage examples #10: "The orchestrator MUST NOT execute activity steps, write code, review code, or produce artifacts")

Desired state:

• The worker self-bootstraps by calling next_activity and get_skills with only a session token, receiving unprocessed activity definitions and skill protocols
• All mandatory phases in skill protocols — including write-semantic-trace — are executed and produce their expected outputs
• The orchestrator delegates cleanly without pre-digesting instructions or performing domain work
• Violations of mandatory phases are observable and traceable

Goal

Ensure the orchestrator/worker execution model is followed faithfully, with all mandatory skill phases executed and the worker self-bootstrapping from workflow-server MCP calls rather than receiving pre-digested instructions.

Scope

In Scope

• Orchestrator dispatch behavior: what it passes to the worker and what it pre-processes
• Worker bootstrap protocol: how the worker discovers its activity and skills
• Mandatory phase compliance: ensuring write-semantic-trace and other required phases produce outputs
• Worker skill protocol execution order and completeness

Out of Scope

• Server-side structural enforcement mechanisms (tracked separately in work-package: orchestrator/worker execution rules lack structural enforcement #65)
• Changes to the TOON schema or workflow-server source code
• Checkpoint enforcement reliability (tracked in Workflow orchestration checkpoint enforcement is unreliable #51)

User Stories

US-1: Worker Self-Bootstrap

As a workflow operator, I want the worker to discover its own activity definition and skills via MCP calls so that the orchestrator cannot inadvertently filter, summarize, or distort the instructions.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Worker receives only a session token and target context from the orchestrator (not pre-digested activity content)
• Worker calls next_activity and get_skills to load its own instructions
• Worker reads and follows skill protocols as returned by the server, not as paraphrased by the orchestrator

US-2: Mandatory Phase Execution

As a workflow operator, I want all mandatory skill phases to execute and produce their defined outputs so that I can verify the workflow was followed completely.

Acceptance Criteria:

• The write-semantic-trace phase produces a trace file in the planning folder for every activity execution
• No mandatory phase is skipped without an observable error or documented skip reason
• The report-completion phase is only reached after all preceding mandatory phases have executed

US-3: Orchestrator Discipline

As a workflow operator, I want the orchestrator to limit itself to dispatching, checkpoint mediation, and transitions so that context separation is maintained and the worker operates from authoritative instructions.

Acceptance Criteria:

• The orchestrator does not include activity step descriptions, skill protocol content, or resource text in worker dispatch
• The orchestrator does not execute domain work (code review, artifact writing, implementation)
• Checkpoint responses are relayed without the orchestrator interpreting or acting on them

References

• Related: work-package: orchestrator/worker execution rules lack structural enforcement #65 (structural enforcement of orchestrator/worker rules)
• Related: Workflow orchestration checkpoint enforcement is unreliable #51 (checkpoint enforcement reliability)